Student Ombudsman Office

Message

From the Student Ombudsman Office

I thank the students of the Politécnico de Leiria for the trust they have placed in me by electing me as Student Ombudsman.

On 6 July 2016, you conferred upon me the position in which I propose to repay your trust, as I had occasion to say in the speech I made then.

I will try to perform a proactive ombudsman role that will eventually require the study of general problems affecting students and the assessment of the possibility of contributing to their resolution. For this to be possible I count on you in the certainty that, although my main function is the defence of the rights, freedoms, guarantees and legitimate interests of students, it will have to be ensured through informal means, because in the last instance it is the instituted powers that can deliberate.

Pedro de Matos Gonçalves

Politécnico de Leiria

Students’ Unions

João Paredes
ESECS Students’ Union President

The Ombudsman of the Polytechnic of Leiria aims to protect students, having as principles the defense of their rights and support in the fulfillment of their duties. This body acts to meet the needs of students, giving special support in the mediation of any type of conflict. The Student Ombudsman therefore plays a fundamental role with regard to academic coexistence, promoting the well-being of students internally and externally.

According to the Portuguese Legal Regime of Higher Education Institutions, the Ombudsman’s activities are carried out together with the schools’ pedagogical councils, the Student Support Services and the Students’ Unions.

To defend and promote the students’ rights and interests, the Student Ombudsman can make general recommendations or more specific proposals to the rightful governance bodies, especially in the field of academic activities and social services.

Joel Rodrigues
ESTG Students’ Union President

Cíntia Moreira
ESAD.CR Students’ Union President

The Ombudsman of the Polytechnic of Leiria aims to protect students, having as principles the defense of their rights and support in the fulfillment of their duties.

This body acts to meet the needs of students, giving special support in the mediation of any type of conflict. The Student Ombudsman therefore plays a fundamental role with regard to academic coexistence, promoting the well-being of students internally and externally.

The Student Ombudsman is responsible for looking after the rights and interests of all students of the institution, receiving their contributions and complaints, assisting them and mediating access to decent quality services and, above all, being a bridge of communication between students and the institution.

The Student Ombudsman performs his role with great skill and promptness, always maintaining a close relationship in order to increase inclusion, foster joint and continuous growth and improve the university experience of students and all services and associated conditions.

The Students’ Association of ESTM, and all the students it represents, reinforce the continued willingness to collaborate with the Ombudsman and renew their deep gratitude for all the work and dedication of Ombudsman Pedro de Matos Gonçalves who never failed to cooperate and work continuously for the good of all.

Bruno Oliveira
ESTM Students’ Union President

Bruna Bastos
ESSlei Students’ Union President

According to the Regulation of the Student Ombudsman of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, the Student Ombudsman is elected to his position by the students, in this way he is an autonomous and impartial element within the academy.

It is the body responsible for analysing, monitoring and responding to problems raised by our students, individually or collectively. Managing to provide the necessary information to prevent, protect and promote consensus on students’ complaints and concerns.

At our institution we can count on Mr. Pedro de Matos Gonçalves, which, together with the Student Associations of the Polytechnic of Leiria, aims to promote better conditions for the functioning of the entire academic community.

The Student Association of the Higher School of Health of Leiria will continue to collaborate with the work carried out by Mr. Ombudsman, thanking you for all your commitment and support in resolving our students’ issues.

politécnico de leiria

Student Ombudsman

The person students can count on.

pedro de matos gonçalves

Student Ombudsman

Mission

At Politécnico de Leiria, there is a set of departments and people available to welcome and help students, whenever they need: teachers, the course coordinator, the Pedagogical Council, the Students’ Union, among others.

In cooperation with these entities, the Student Ombudsman is an independent and elected by students governing body. It is responsible for evaluating the students’ complaints and, according to their evaluation, make pertinent observations to the competent departments, as well as making generic recommendations with a view to safeguarding their interests, especially in the field of pedagogical activity and school social action.

students ombudsman

What we do

The Ombudsman’s activities are carried out together with the schools’ pedagogical councils, the Student Support Services and the students’ unions, according to the law.
It is the Obudsman’s duty to consider students’ complaints on pedagogical issues and connected administrative matters, as well as on other aspects of their academic lives, and to issue the adequate recommendations for the prevention and solution of the verified situations to the competent bodies of Politécnico de Leiria.

Student Ombudsman

FAQs

You can book an appointment to meet us in person, at the Politécnico de Leiria’s headquarters, at Rua General Norton de Matos, in Leiria.

You can also get in touch by email (provedor.estudante@ipleiria.pt) or by phone: (+351) 244 830 018.

The Ombudsman cannot guarantee a solution for each exposure as it is not an executive body. He assures, however, that all the matters will be carefully analysed, with independence and discretion, developing all the efforts so that the rights of the students of the Politécnico de Leiria are respected and so that their relationship with the different bodies/services is fair.

The Student Ombudsman plays an eminently interdisciplinary role, acting as a mediator in relations between students and the formal bodies of the Politécnico de Leiria and the Schools, in seeking the concrete resolution of problems and conflicts that are not overcome at other levels and once the other institutional mechanisms have been exhausted.

The Ombudsman develops its action in articulation with the Student Associations and with the bodies and services of the Institute, namely with the Pedagogical Councils, as well as with its Schools and other organic units.

Absolutely.

The duty of confidentiality is extended to all those whom the Student Ombudsman requests to collaborate or who have any kind of intervention in the process.

In addition to the duty of confidentiality, the complainant may choose, when submitting the complaint or claim, to request that his or her data be treated with absolute confidentiality and not be disclosed in the course of the investigation of the case. In this case, the data will only be known within the scope of the Ombudsman’s service.